Automobile-body heater



HITOE/YE/ S.

IN VEN TOR. {gnu/ p LUDLOM 2 Sl-IEETSSHEET 1 E LUDLOW AUTOMOBILE BODY HEATER Sept. 16, 1952 Flled April 4 1949 INVENTOR.

HITOANEXS.

E LUDLOW QUTOMQBILE BODY HEATER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 50010019 ZupLovg;

Sept. 16, 1952 Filed April 4, 1949 Patented Sept. 16, A 1952 2,,61o,s33 flj.

' AUTOMOBILE-BODY HEATER Edmund iiudlo'wt Columbu s :lnd., assignor Itof ,Arvin Industries, Inc., a corporation of I11 j' dian a Ap ic-auonspn'i4, 949,seriaiNusasevf "'lfacla'i s, (01. 2575137). I

This invention relates to automobile-body heaters and more particularly to automobilebody heaters which deliver heated air both... to theginterior of the automobile body andfto one or more defrosters, It-is the object of r the invention to simplify theconstruotioh, lessen the manufacturing cost, and improve the performance oj sucha heater. i

In carrying-outfthe invention in its preferred form, the heater is provided with a casing having an'inlet opening in its-bottom. Immediately above this opening there is placed an air-heating core adaptedto be connected into the cooling system of the -automobile -engine whereby air passing upwardly through the core and into the casing will be heated.- Within the casing and abovethe core, I provide an electric motor which drives two air-imp elling elements secured .to opposite ends -of-the motor shaftand located respectively adjacent the rear wall and the front wall of the heater casing. One of such'air-ime pelling elements, conveniently the one located adjacent the front wall of the casing, is the im'- peller of a blower adapted to deliver air to an outlet fitting arrangedfor c'onnectionto one or more conduitsextending to a defrosted nozzle or nozzles. ;;The other air-impelling element is ar- 2,610,833 vUNITED STATES A T: 1

walls-of the casing 10. and is secured thereto as by screws 2|), Attached to -the partition I8 is a support-2i ,for an electric motor 22, such mo--v tor heing; disposedwith its shaft 23 normal to the partition i8 and; the .front'cover U. Go: axially with themotor shaft 23, thepartition ll is provided with a. large air-passing openin through which the rear end ofthe motorshait 23-=extends.- -;In reariof the partition lathereli s secured to the motor shaft an air-impelling ele-. ment conveniently, although not necessarily,v in the form of a; fan 25. Between-the partition l8 and the rear. wall 12 ofthe casin .theside walls to ofthe casing are provided with open n s 7 2 B permittingzthe escapeot air acted uponby the impeller 25.1- ;Conveniently,; the; openings 26 p are provided by the inward. displacement of .louvres 21 which slope; outwardly. and downwardly to. direct air discharged through theopenings toward .the floor of vthe- -automobile body. To improve: the efiiciency :of the impeller its 7 lower portion is partially su-rrounded by a baflie-which extends between the; partition I 8 and--,the'; rear c'asing-wall ll and; whichwincludes an arcuate portion :28, disposed immediately beneath the impeller 25 and; concentric therewith, and outrangedto deliver air laterally through air-outlet-openings provided in theside walls of the casing near the rear thereof. Allair entering the casing passes upwardly through the core and enters the space between the two air-impelling elements, where the air divides into two portions one of which propelled by the blower to the outlet fitting and the other of which is delivered to the other impeller for discharge through the openings in the side walls of the casing} If desired, theoutlet fitting may be provided with a valve and an auxiliary' outlet opening, the valve being adjustable to direct airieceived from the blower either to the defrosterso'r'to the auxiliary opening for discharge directly into the interior of the automobile body.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Fig. l is a vertical section through an v abut atrthe'ir front'ends-against ears 3 6 prov automobile-body heater embodying my invention,

and is taken substantially on the line I-.l of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig l; and Fig. 3 is a 'Ihefheater illustrated'inthe drawingcomprises a casing having side walls' lii, atop-wall H and a'rear wall [2. At their lower edges, the sidewalls III are turned inwardly to formiianges providing a support for an air-heating 'coi'e'i-iii. The front end of the casing is 'closed'by. aremovable cover 14 having flanges whichovrlap the side and top walls of the casing l0 aswell as the :in-tur'ned flanges at the bottom edges of the side walls. 7

Within the casing I!) there is provided a transvertical section taken on the line 3--3 of 2. l

: housing is providedwj 1 verse partition i8 having along its top and sides a flange I9 which lies against the top and side wardlygand downwardly sloping end -portions 29 which meet the side walls lflg beneath the lowermost 1 opening 2 6, v Below the baiile 26 29, the partition 18. is; cut; away; so as to permit. air entering; thecasing through the -core i3 flow upwardly on'zthe. front; side-of the partition I 8. a

Onthe front end ofgthenotor shaft 23; the1 e, is 'securedzthe impeller. of ablOW P W MOW-F er. being-disposed; within the jcustomar-y l formed fr m 1' a: pair .:'of. ppo c i s et-m tal stampings having abutt ng,fianges-removably see cured together as by screws .33.; To supportthe housing. :32 in proper position within the casing I0,.I may employ posts 13.5 which, aresecured' to and extend forwardly-from: thepartitiong I to on=3the irear housingsstampina: Screws 3.11. tending through: the. ears 336-; and into the posts 35 :"s'ecurefthe :blo'wer-h'ousin'g -3 2,,;;ln position.;.. Th'e' blower-impeller .3 lr-fis rconvenijently. in. the form'zofr aTLcup-shaped-m sheet-metal :stamping openingrearwardly :and provided; around Pei: ri'phery with. a series: of radiallyinclined- [blades 401:- The rear wall? ofitheblowe'r-housingiz has a central opening through which air :can enter the impeller :31 so that asv the: impeller rotates the blades thereonrjwill forc'e such air outwardly into the housing 32 for delivery therefrpm inte an: upwardly/directed neck 42 with-which the .ifThe' upper portion of theL-casing-coven-Ll is provided with 'aniopening .for the reception; of the discharge-:neck'12 of the; :blower' housing, and over that opening there is;.-disposed.=an outlet-fitting 43. The outlet-fitting: Q3 has, an open bottomto fitiagainstithe top wall]! 9;

outlet neck, the fitting 43 is provided with a pair of nipples 44 adapted for connection to flexible conduits through which air may pass from the fitting 43 to defroster nozzles (not shown) appropriately mounted adjacentthe windshield. The fitting 43 extends rearwardly well beyond the outlet neck 42, where it is provided in its outer end with an air-discharge opening 45. A

flap valve 46 pivotally mounted within the casing 43 adjacent the rear of the nipples 44 can be adjusted to direct air discharged from the blower mam the nipples 44 for transmission to defroster nozzles or to the outlet 45 for discharge directly into the'automobile-body. The illustrated flapvalvecontrol, comprising a longitudinally movabl bar 41 slidably received in an opening in an car 48 on the valve 46 constitutes the subject matter of my co-pending application Serial No: 103,653, filed July 8, 1949. Desirably, the upper wall of the fitting 43 projects outwardly above the outlet 45 and is bent downwardly to form a deflector 49.

For the purpose of mounting the heater on the dash ofan automobile, the rear wall I2 is provided with openings adapted to receive mounting bolts 50. The rear wall I2 is provided in addition with openings for the reception of tubes 5| through'which the core I 3 is adapted to be connected'into the cooling system of the automobile engine in known manner.

When the heater is mounted on the automobile-dash and the core I! connected through the tubes 5| to the cooling system of the automobile engine so that hot coolant will circulate through the core, rotation of the impellers 25 and 3| by the motor 22 will cause air to be drawn into the casing through the heated core I3. Above the core, such air divides, a portion flowing rearwardly through the partition I! to be acted upon by the impeller 25 and another portion flowing forwardly to enter the blower-housing 32. As the impeller 25 is presented edgewise to the core l3 and confronts the rear wall I2 61 the heater casing, the air upon which it acts is largely delivered radially and tangentially rather than axially, even if the impeller is of the fan-type. In any event, the only escape 'for air acted'upon by the impeller 25 is through the openings 26 which lie largely in the plane of'the fan. Because of the spiral shape of the blower housing 32 the axis of the impeller 25 is located nearer one side wall it of the casing than the other. As shown in Fig. 3, the impeller is closer to the right-hand side wall I! than to the left-hand side wall. The location of the blower-outlet 42 determines the direction in which the impellers 25 and rotate, that direction being such that the tips of the blades of the impeller 25 move downwardly adjacent the openings 26 in that side wall of the casing towhich the impeller 25 is nearest. As the air delivered from the impeller blades has a substantial tangential component or velocity, this arrangement facilitates the discharge of air past the downwardly and outwardly inclined louvres 21.

At the opposite side of the heater, the upward movement of the blades of the impeller 25 creates ageneral upward flow of air; and as a result, the air delivered from the impeller 25 at that side of the casing must undergo a substantial reversal in direction of flow in order to permit it-to escape between the outwardly and downivardly inclined louvres 21. To aid in this reversal of air flow and thus to increase the discharge of air from that side of the casing, a

curved deflector 55 may be secured to the back wall i2 of the casing, such deflector extending forwardly to or adjacent the partition l8.

That portion of the heated air which is not drawn rearwardly by the impeller 25 enters the blower housing 32, is acted upon by the impeller 3| therein, and is discharged through the outlet 42 into the fitting 43. Depending upon the position of the valve 46, such air is either conducted to the defroster nozzles or discharged directly into the automobile body through the outlet 45.

I claim as my invention: v

1. In an automobile-body heater, a casing having a back wall, side walls, and an open bottom providing an air inlet, a partition disposed within the casing generally parallel to the back wall and having an air-passing opening, a heat-exchanging core positioned within the open casing bottom and adapted to be connected into an engine-cooling system to heat air entering the casing, at least a portion of the lower edge of said partition being spaced above said core, a battle extending between the lower portion of said partition and the back wall and co-operating with the partition, the back wall, and side walls to define a fan chamber, a motor mounted within the casing in advance of the partition and having a motor shaft which projects both forwardly and rearwardly from the motor, a fan mounted on the rear end of said shaft within said fan chamber in position to confront'said back wall, the side walls of the casing being provided with outlet openings in the plane of the fan between the back wall and the partition, and a blower in cluding a rotary impeller mounted on the front end of the motor shaft for supplying windshielddefrosting air, said fan and blower being arranged so that both serve to draw air upwardly through said core when the motor operates, said fan being located closely adjacent said partition, the air-passing opening in the partition being concentric with the fan and of smaller diameter than the fan, and said fan chamber being free from obstructions interfering with the substantially free flow of air radially from the fan to the outlet openings. v I

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said battle has an arcuate center portion concentric with and closely spaced from said fan and downwardly and outwardly sloping end portions meeting said side walls at points below the lowermost outlet openings therein.

EDMUND LUDLOW.

REFERENCES mm) H The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

